The never ending struggle to move into the house.  October 30, I was able to move in, due to the big part of being able to reach my bed in the enclosed trailer.  Unfortunately, I can’t find all the screws to the put the darn thing together!  It’s a white metal Ikea head and foot boards with homemade slats.  I have all the parts except for the bits that connect the frame together.  (slap in the face)

So, my mattress is on the floor and that’s where i’m sleeping.

The first night was creepy and the house makes all these creaking noises and it was windy and raining.  I’m sleeping in a strange new place for the first time.  Let’s just say I didn’t sleep very well.  I tossed and turn listening to every noise that was made.  The dog’s didn’t seem to mind and if there was a real danger you would think they would bark and go crazy.    Dad and I were expecting our container to arrive early in the morning.

Next morning, Oct. 31 – So Dad was up by around 4:30 am and me around 5:30am.  It was rough.  Our dirt guy Brian came back and finished spreading the gravel and off he went.  He did a great job!  Then the delivery guy with the container called and he wasn’t going to get here to Fritz Creek until around 2pm.  Dad and I had other things that needed to be done.  Like move the camper, clean up around the camper so that the truck driver can get the container in where we want it.  Since this was the first time waking up early (we are still messed up with time) we were not feeling good.  We both felt disoriented and sick to our stomachs. So instead of doing the rest of the work; we went back to bed for a nap. Dad went back to the trailer and I to my bed in the house.  My head hit the pillow and soon found myself waking up with the sun shining in my eyes.  “God Lord!  I need to get some curtains up here!”  Of course, I didn’t think I had been asleep for long, maybe for about 15-20 minutes.  I started my nap around 9:30 am and when I checked my phone to see the time it was 11:30 am!  Dad didn’t tell me what time the container guy was going to show and I didn’t want to be sleeping when he got here so I got up and called Dad.  He came back to the house and we had more coffee.  That’s when Dad said he wasn’t going to get here until 2 pm.  We sat by the wood stove and made a list of things we need to get and the store.  We needed to get a few items at the hardware store and while in town we like to get what ever we need.  It’s been a while since we were in town last.  Make every trip count.

Dad and I head to town, we decided to hit the post office first, second Safeway, third Sav-U-More and then to the hardware store and last to McDonald’s because we crave sustenance.  I think I am burning way more calories than the average caloric intake, which means I can eat some Micky Dee’s!

As soon as I was checking out of Sav-U-More, Dad calls and says the container guy is driving down Homer Hill!  It’s only 1 pm.  He’s early!  So, I run to the truck, throw the goods in the back and we are headed home!  Soon as we get to the stop sign, our container drives passed us.  “Oh, shiitake!”, well, you know what I said.  We get on the main road and take a little short cut.  He was stopped at the light and we detoured it and told Dad to turn right onto this road!  As we were driving I could see down the hill that the container was still at the stop light!  Ha Za! We beat him back to the house and started cleaning up!  Then we had to move the camper.  We finally got that thing attached and pulled out of the way 20 minutes after our container arrived.

The road is wet and muddy and there was nothing short of waiting for a freeze to fix the road.  That and our dirt guy, but that’s later in the story.

The 18 wheeler backs it’s way into our tiny little one lane road slipping and spinning wheels and was able to get it somewhat on our property.  The guy said if our road was better, not wet and muddy then he could have done a better job.  He just didn’t want to fool with it is all.  After he left I had to get my camper parked and that was a career move.  I had to back it up and get it into a new area of the property due to the fact the container is now sitting where the camper should go.  So, I had to back that fat b#@$ up 200 feet to get her where I needed her so I could pul in and park her.  Well, Dad is telling me what to do and his directions or “Go that way!”, “No the other way”, Sorry, go back the other way” and his hand signals all look alike.  It reminded me when we used to race sailboats.

Dad – “Pull the thing!”

Summer – “Which one!”

Dad – “Damn it!  The thing the thing hanging there next to you!”

Summer – “This one?”

Dad – “No, the other one!”

Summer – “This one?”

Dad – “NO NO!  The other one!”

Summer – “This one?!?!!!!”

Dad – “Yes!  Pull it”

Summer – “Why didn’t you say the boom vang!!!”

Dad – “I couldn’t remember the damn name!”

After that he color coded all the lines so he could just say pull the red one!  HAHA!  Dad get’s excited and he forgets how to use his words.  I do the same thing.  Like father like daughter.

Okay, anyway.  I told Dad to say left or right.  Every time he points I can’t tell where he wants me to go.  I finally just ignored him and backed the darn thing up where it needed to be for me to pull forward to get in into the hole.  Well, not so smart of an idea.  We got the camper parked and it was time to unhitch the camper off the gooseneck or the truck of the gooseneck, well what ever.  We are trying to get the camper off Spike!  There was a lot of trial and error going on and she just wouldn’t get off of Spike’s back.  I suddenly realize all the blocking up wasn’t working.  So, I told Dad let’s keep it simple and so I pulled both levelers up and pulled the legs down as far down as they could go.  We put a few boards underneath them to prevent mud sinkage and extra hight.  Just when we think we have it.  She just would go up anymore.  At first I thought it died, but then I realized the camper is unplugged and the batteries are dying!  Dad’s just about through, he’s just exaused and so am I.  I told him let’s just try plugging the camper in.  So, we did and the levelers (jacks?) started lifting the old girl right off of Spike!  Another win!  I pull Spike though a small hole between the container and the enclosed trailer and suddenly realized we painted ourselves in a corner.  Spike is trapped!  After an hour trying to free him from the camper has no place to go!  So, we went inside and had a drink waiting on Brian to come back and help us move the container to it’s final resting place.  And of course, Spike has to be moved and while I was doing that the mud attacked him and sucked us further into the muddy abyss we call the yard.  Brian moved the container as far as he could before realizing we had to get Spike out of the way now or he would be stuck there until the next freeze.  If he would have finished moving the container into place, Spike would be blocked in.

We got Spike out and the container moving continued.

Meanwhile, while I was in Spike, when drove down to the general store and got some ice.

I get back and the container was in place and Brian was smoothing out the gravel and our road.  After that was all said and done, we went inside where I had been using an electric pressure cooker to make chili.  We had a few cocktails and dinner and each of us got half a loaf of a french baguette and we were ready for bed.  Walked the dogs one last time and hit the sack!

It was a long day.  So long it felt like two days. We crashed and slept like rocks.